One neighbour ended up being treated by paramedics after desperately trying to reach the woman. She finally managed to get to safety - as flames spread. Paramedics took her to hospital after she breathed in smoke during her escape.

Fire crews from Lostwithiel, Liskeard, Bodmin, Truro, Looe, St Austell and Polruan spent more than four hours tackling the blaze. The narrow lanes forced them to run hoses for a hundred metres to get to the property.

They used breathing gear and thermal imaging technology to check there was no-one else trapped in the three-storey set of flats.

The Incident Commander, Station Manager Richard Gibbons based at Bodmin Fire Station, said that the “firefighters worked extremely hard to limit the fire spreading to the upper floors. Although there is severe damage to the ground floor, the upper floors have mainly suffered only smoke damage”. He added that “the lady was very lucky to have escaped”.

An investigation into what happened is starting but, at the moment, we are told it looks like an accident.